career path tools in federal agencies

Career Path Tools in Federal Agencies

Personnel Testing Council of Metropolitan Washington (PTC/MW) Invited Presentation at PTC/MW Meeting on May 20, 2015

Lance Anderson, Joshua Quist, Alexander Morris, and Susan Wright

Overview

• Definitions • Why Now? • Typical Implementation and Variations • Research Support • Research Questions • Recommendations

2

Definitions

• Career: “process of development of the employee along a path of experience and jobs in one or more organizations” (Baruch & Rosenstein, 1992, p. 478)

• Career paths: “link between the individual's own career aims and the organization's actual talent requirements [resulting in] improved utilization of talent and less ambiguity in employee views of the employment relationship” (Walker, 1976, p. 6).

3

Definitions

4

• Career paths

• Key areas of development

• Developmental activities

• Disseminate career path guidance to workforce

• Enable employees to explore career options, build a personalized career plan, and assess development needs

• Build awareness (internally and externally)

• Educate workforce on capabilities and intended use

Career Path Model Application/Website Communication

Career Path Tool

Intended Benefits

• Give employee the opportunity to take charge • Align employee development efforts with organizational

needs • Reinforce human capital goals and strategies • Promote commitment to the agency or Department • Enhance retention • Organize or coordinate the use of existing employee

development resources

5

Why Now?

• Lattice, not ladder (Benko & Anderson, 2013)

• To succeed, workers must be demonstrate employability (Fugate, Kinicki, & Ashforth, 2004)

• People change jobs more often (Becton, Walker, & Jones‐Farmer, 2014; Lyons, Schweitzer, & Ng, 2014; Moses, 1997)

6

(Benko & Anderson, 2013, p. 14)

Why Now?

7

• In the Federal Government – Opportunities to hire may be low – Concern about development and retention of

employees – Expectation that employees take charge of their own

career – Growing use of tools to facilitate management

Typical Implementation and Variations

8

9

Career paths depict how employees may advance through positions or roles within an occupation or

organization

1st Level Supervisor

Senior-Level Manager

Mid-Level Manager

Individual Contributor

What level of detail do you identify?

10

Primary Career Track

Expert

Mid-Level

Entry

Developmental

1st Level Supervisor

Senior-Level Manager

Mid-Level Manager

It is possible to expand to include a broader set of more specific roles


Expert (14+)

Mid-Level (13)

Entry (7/9)

Developmental (11/12)

Internships/ Fellowships

11

We can also show where and how employees tend to enter the occupation

12

Career paths may depict alternative career tracks through which employees may advance


Expert (14+)

Mid-Level (13)

Entry (7/9)



Alternative Track/Specialty

Mid-Level (13)


Expert (14+)


Expert (14+)


Mid-Level (13)

Entry (7/9)

Mid-Level (13)



Expert (14+)


Front-Line Management

Senior-Level Management

Mid-Level Management


13

Career paths may be used to help employees make the transition from individual contributor to supervisory and leadership roles


Expert (14+)


Mid-Level (13)

Entry (7/9)

Mid-Level (13)



Expert (14+)

14


Senior-Level Management

Mid-Level Management


Related Occupation

Mid-Level (13)


Expert (14+)

Career paths help identify opportunities to transition into other occupations

Typical Paths vs. Strategic Paths

Typical

Position C

Position D

Position A

Position B

Encouraged

15

Position Summaries

Expert

Mid-level

Developmental

Position Summary • Short, concise description • Major duties and

responsibilities

16

Mid-level

Developmental

Developmental Recommendations

Expert

Position Summary • Short, concise description • Major duties and

responsibilities

Key Areas of Development • Knowledge • Skills

Beneficial Development Activities

• Experience • Training • Rotations

17

Overview of Potential Variations

• Jobs included • Number of paths • Information provided

– Competencies – Duties – Developmental Opportunities – Credentials

• Links and support to other programs

18

Research Support

• Longitudinal study: Career coaching explained 24% variance in perceived career success, 15% in job satisfaction, and 18% in external marketability

19 (Spurk, Kauffeld, Barthauer, & Heinemann, 2015 p. 140).

Model

20

• Commitment • Satisfaction • Turnover • Performance

Individual Goals Perceived Match Outcomes

Career Path Tool

CPT aligns individual and organizational goals, facilitating the attainment of both and increasing the likelihood of positive organizational outcomes.

Organizational Needs/Goals

Research Support

21

Research Support

22

Research Support

23

Organizational Support for Employee Development is most effective when Employees Perceive Career Opportunities (Kraimer, Seibert, Wayne, Liden, & Bravo, 2011, p.494).

Questions for Future Research

• Do CPTs have direct impact on?: – Perceived alignment – Perceived career opportunities – Role clarity – Perceptions of organizational fit – Perceptions of increased employability

• How can we design them to maximize this impact?

• Then we can expect an impact on more distal outcomes

24

Recommendations

• Identify what level of career guidance is needed • Gather information from stakeholders • Tie it to other programs

– Individual Development Plans (IDPs) – Learning Management Systems – Mentoring Programs – USAJOBS

• Dissemination of career guidance is important • Understand technical capabilities • Make it engaging and interesting • Emphasize usability

25

Recommendation: Strategic Communication

26

Contact Information

27

Lance Anderson, Ph.D. C² Technologies, Inc. [email protected] 703‐448‐7945

Joshua Quist, Ph.D., C² Technologies, Inc. [email protected] 703‐448‐7941

mailto:[email protected]




career path tools in federal agencies

Government & Nonprofit